THE  ALAMO.  BUILT  1718. 


2N_D  MISSION  "RUINS"-  NORTHEAST. 


AQUEDUCT  AT  MISSION  SAN  JUAN. 


CATHEDRAL  DE  SAN  FERNANDO. 


SIEGE  OF.  THE  ALAMO,  march  6™  J836. 


2 


SAN  PEDRO  SPRINGS.  MAIN  SPRING. 


U.  S.  MILITARY  POST,  FROM  TOWER. 


COM  M  E RCE ,  S TR E E T.  LOOKING  WEST. 


BEAUTICS  OF  SAN  ANTONIO  Rl 


R.  GUENTHER'S  LOWER  Ml 


OUR  MEXICAN  CITIZENS. 


BANAI 


MAGUEY  -  CENTURY  PLAN1 


|R.aTHOFHEINZ. 


TE  ■  AS  E' 


STREET  SCENE,  "broken  down." 


CHIL! -CON  -  CARNE.  OR  MEXICAN  SUPPER. 


mmm 


'  '  I-’  G  O  b.'.  '-^Ah  .  ccr/'.'.i  f.  ;  ^'P, 


TEXAS  STATE  CAPITOL,  AUSTIN. 


B8CSC5 


"LA  CONCEPCION"  BUILT  173). 


FIRST  MISSION 


SECOND  MISSION  "SAN  JOSE"  built  me. 


7  n,  34-  f'  Mr-e  cU-^ 

the  ur-y  of  the 


7- 


S/J/foi 


un:v:  y  ^jllmjisanto^io. 


San  Antonio  of  to-day,  an  American,  yet  cosmopolitan  city  of  some  50,000  inhabit¬ 
ants  is  so  little  the  San  Antonio  of  even  modern  history,  it  has  been  deemed  proper 
that  the  facts  should  1>cl  given  to  the  world  by  an  historian  whose  words  though 
few  will  be  found  impartial  to  any  race  or  creed,  whose  fortune  it  has  been  to  dwell 
in  its  delightful  climate. 

Being  the  oldest  incorporated  city  in  the  United  States  it  would  seem  strange 
that  Histories  make  so  little  mention  of  it  were  it  not  for  the  fact  that  the  whole 
State  of  Texas  was  only  annexed  to  the  United  States  in  1845  just  prior  to  the 
Mexican  war. 

Situated  in  latitude  30,  longitude  98  at  an  elevation  of  G50  feet  adove  the  sea 
level,  in  the  center  of  the  finest  grazing  lands  in  the  world  and  some  hundreds  of 
miles  distant  from  any  other  large  cities.  It  has  long  enjoyed  a  thrifty  commercial 
activity.  Ttie  Southern  Pacific,  the  Missouri  Pacific,  the  International  and  great 
Northern  It.  R's  and  Arransas  Pass  R.  R.  (built  by  the  citizens  of  San  Antonio  to 
the  coast,)  furnish  quick  communication  with  all  ports  of  the  United  States  as  well 
as  the  republic  of  Mexico. 

The  mean  temperature  for  the  month  of  January  is  about  52  degrees;  exactly 
the  same  as  that  of  Los  Angelos,  Cal,  and  the  city  of  Mexico,  and  ten  degrees 
warmer  than  ths  average  temperature  of  sunny  Italy  during  the  same  period.  The 
mean  temperature  for  the  year  is  about  58  degrees.  People  can  sit  out  of  doors 
of  evenings  on  their  verandas  or  porches  all  winter  without  inconvenience, 
except  when  an  occasional  norther,  (cool  north  wind)  comes,  during  which  fires  are 
needed.  Northers  occur  at  intervals  of  about  ten  days,  but  do  not  last  long  and  are 
regarded  as  a  pleasant  and  health-giving  change.  Thousands  of  people  come  yearly 
to  this  section  to  spend  the  winter,  it  being  regarded  as  the  best  suited  for  con¬ 
sumptives  of  all  the  known  winter  resorts;  for  the  elevation  guarantees  about  the 
proper  density  of  atmosphere,  and  there  being  no  swamps,  lakes  or  stagnant 
waters  within  hundreds  of  miles,  a  dryness  is  perceived  in  the  air  highly  beneficial 
to  those  affected  with  weakness  of  the  lungs.  Relief  also  from  malarial  effects  of 
decaying  vegetation  in  the  swamp,  such  as  is  experienced  in  Florida  and  other  win¬ 
ter  resorts  in  the  south,  go  far  towards  guaranteeing  renewed  vigor  to  all  who  will 
come  to  this  locality,  and  remain  long  enough  to  receive  permanent  benefit. 


THE  STATE  OF  TEXAS. 


The  history  of  Texas  differs  from  tnat  of  the  other  states  that  have  been  added 
to  tne  union  in  this,  that  its  people  had  achieved  their  own  independence  by  revol¬ 
ting  against  Mexico,  and  had  been  recognised  hy  the  leading  powers  of  the  world 
as  a  newborn  nation.  The  first  white  settlement  of  Texas  was  made  in  1(185  when 
Sieur  de  La  Salle  lauded  a  colony  of  French  emigrants  on  the  coast  of  Lavaca  and 
erected  fort  St.  Louis.  In  1690  Captain  De  Leon,  a  Spanish  officer,  with  one  hun¬ 
dred  and  ten  men  and  some  Franciscan  monks  took  the  place  and  established  it  as 
the  mission  of  San  Francisco,  but  the  settlement  was  abandoned  in  1693  on  acount 
of  the  failure  of  the  crops  and  hostilities  of  the  Indians.  In  1714  Huchereau  St. 
Dluis,  a  Frenchman,  penetrated  as  far  as  the  Rio  Grande,  was  taken  prisonor  at  the 
mission  of  San  Juan,  married  the  Spanish  governor’s  daughter,  and  introduced  Spa¬ 
nish  missionaries  into  Texas  who  founded  several  missions;  among  others  the  one 
on  the  banks  of  the  San  Pedro  river  near  San  Antonio.  Then  followed  a  forty-three 
years  of  quiet  growth  when  the  Indians  in  1758  started  such  cruel  wars  upon  the 
settlers,  they  were  well  nigh  exterminated.  In  1765  there  were  scarcely  seven  hun¬ 
dred  and  fifty  white  settlers  in  the  entire  domain. 

By  the  year  1830,  after  many  changes  of  administration  and  sovereignty,  the  re¬ 
gion  began  to  attract  settlers  from  the  United  States,  who,  it  seems,  were  wery 
badly  treated  by  the  Mexican  government  which  confiscated  their  property  and 
drove  them  out  whenever  they  could.  In  1833,  however,  the  American  settlers, 


library 


THE  L!U  ”1  OF  THE 


Diversity  of  iuinois 


V  Of  IUINOIS 


now  numbering  twenty-thousand,  held  a  convention,  prepared  a  constitution,  and 
demanded  of  the  Mexican  Government,  of  which  Santa  Anna  was  at  tiie  head,  that 
they  be  admittel  as  a  separate  state  into  the  Republic:  to  this  Santa  Anna  sought 
to  amuse  the  Texans  for  a  couple  of  years  while  lie  was  preparing  an  army,  and 
finally  entered  the  country,  bent  on  exterminating  the  American  settlers.  Several 
skirmishes  occurred  in  the  Fall  of  1835.  Goliad  was  captured  by  the  Texans  Oct. 
9,  and  the  battle  of  Conception  was  fought  Oct.  28,  near  San  Antonio.  On  Nov  3, 
delegates  from  ill  sections  met  at  San  Felipede,  Austin,  and  organixd  a  provisional 
government  and  a  general  council  with  Henry  Smith  as  Governor,  Sain  Houston, 
Military  Commander,  and  Austin  as  Commissioner  to  the  United  States.  San  An¬ 
tonio  was  taken  Dec.  10,  after  a  cannonade  of  six  days,  and  the  oL  tire  Mexican 
army  driven  out  of  Texas.  On  Dec.  20,  the  Declaration  of  Indepedeiiee  was  pre¬ 
pared.  Santa  Anna  again  set  out  with  an  army,  this  time,  of  seven  thousand  five 
hundred  men  well  equipped.  On  Feb.  23,  1830,  he  invested  the  Alamo.  On  March 
0,  the  Alamo  was  taken  and  the  whole  garrison  were  put  to  tne  sword.  On  March 
1,  a  convention  assembled  at  Washington,  on  the  Brazos,  and  on  the  2d  issued  a 
declaration  of  independence;  on  the  16th  a  provisional  president  (David  G.  Burned 
and  other  officers  were  elected,  and  a  Constitution  was  adopied  which  was  signed 
on  the  17th.)  Meanwhile,  Gen.  Houston  found  it  necessary,  on  the  approach  of 
Santa  Anna,  to  evacuate  Gonzales.  The  tragedy  of  the  Alamo,  the  murder  of  Col. 
Fannin’s  command  iu  cold  blood  at  Goliad,  March  27,  1833,  by  santa  Anna’s  ordre, 
in  violation  of  the  terms  of  surrender,  and  the  successive  defeats  of  the  Texans,  pro¬ 
duced  a  short  panic.  The  alarm  soon  passed  away,  and  having  colie'  ted  a  force  of 
about  eight  hundred  troops,  he  gave  battle  on  April  21  to  the  Mexican  forces  which 
had  pursued  them,  of  about  twice  the  number,  and  defended  them  completely,  killing 
six  hundred  and  thirty,  wounding  two  hundred  and  eight  and  taking  seven  hundred 
and  thirty  prisoners;  among  the  latter,  though  not  captured  till  the  next  day,  was 
the  Mexican  president,  who  commanded  in  person.  The  Mexicans  were  at  once 
demoralized.  Santa  Anna  was  held  a  prisoner,  but  the  war  practically  ended;  and 
though  the  Mexican  government  made  several  attempts  to  fit  out  other  armies  to 
reconquer  Texas,  and  refused  to  acknowledge  its  independence,  their  forces  did 
not  again  invade  the  country.  Gen.  Houston,  who  had  been  wounded  in  the  battle 
of  San  Jacinto,  and  had  resigned  his  command  of  the  army,  was  elected  President 
in  September,  1836,  and  on  October  22  was  inaugurated. 

The  first  Congress  of  the  Republic  assembled  about  the  same  time,  the  Constitu¬ 
tion  having  been  adopted  in  the  election  of  September.  In  1843,  President  Tyler 
of  the  United  States  made  propositions  to  the  President  of  Texas  for  her  annexa¬ 
tion,  which  was  favorably  received.  On  July  4th,  1845,  the  Texans  ratified  the 
agreement  for  annexation,  and  the  United  States  Congress  on  December  29,  1845, 
by  a  joint  resolution  declared  Texas  admitted  to  the  Union.  At  that  time  its  area 
was  376,1(13  square  miles.  In  1850  the  State  ceded  to  the  United  States  its  claim 
for  all  territory  beyond  its  present  limits  in  consideration  of  *10,000,000  in  bounds, 
with  the  proceeds  of  which  tne  State  debt  was  paid.  Until  this  time  San  Antonio 
had  always,  occupied  a  position  of  more  or  less  military  prominence,  and  seemed 
to  have  been  the  point  of  attack  in  scores  of  skirmishes  unmentioned  in  this  brief 
account;  from  this  time  on,  peace  and  prosperity  commenced,  and  those  who  live 
there  to-day,  are  reaping  the  harvests  their  predecessors  sowed  in  much  blood  and 
in  war-like  times,  the  equal  of  which  is  only  seen  in  the  histories  of  the  dark  ages. 


Short  description  of  the  different  pictures  contained  in  the  San  Antonio  Album,  published  by 
PAUL  WAGNER. 


First  Paije. 


IliMilililii 


oU'iteaSffiSS1"’  —  —  1>,alnl>'  U,e  ~**“  - be*u,""'  "" 


sSSs—SSSSSt 


Util  fit 


VnryM  |p  Library 

53 

/3g6 

...  .  . ,."irr 


THE  UNIVERSITY 


OF  ILLINOIS 


22,  24  &  26  COMMERCE  STREET, 


LIBRARY 


From  the  library  of 
William  W.  R.  Woodbury 
Presented  by  his  family 
1934 


IMPORTER  AND  DEALER  IN 
fAJNfGy  GOOD/:  Toy/  <AJ\fD  JvfO'flOJ'Ss 
MEXK^lsf 9\NfD  IjfDIAN 


#  'ikryti  , 


